Motorcycle Ambulance In Chhattisgarh Has Saved Over 200 Lives In Remote Villages Of Bastar

Ambulance on two wheelsEven a year ago, the dwellers in the remote forests of Chhattisgarh, barely had any access to emergency health care services. The undulated land inside the forest did not allow ambulance to ply smoothly in that area and hence, people had been dying because they could not make it to the hospital on time. But today, help has arrived to the people in the form of two-wheeler motorcycle ambulance. This motorcycle ambulance is allowing people from remotest villages to reach hospitals in time and getting treatment. It has largely benefitted pregnant mothers who are getting access to hospitals for their delivery.

Saved lives of over 200 pregnant women
The motorcycle ambulance has saved the lives of over 200 pregnant women. Because of this invention, the Maoist-hit Narayanpur district in Bastar have witnessed a significant drop in maternal and infant mortality rate. The concept of this ambulance have been adopted from the African countries, where a side-carriage is fixed to four-stroke motorcycle customised for the comfort of the patient. They are run only by local riders who are given basic first-aid training.

Health specialist at UNICEF, Ajay Trakroo told Indian Express, “Pregnant women are our main focus in the area as mortality rate is high in this conflict bound region of Chhattisgarh. With this experiment we are trying to provide necessary health care to the pregnant women of this Maoist-affected tribal and hard-to- reach forest area.” So far, there is only one such motorcycle in the entire state that helps in ferrying pregnant women and other patients with serious condition in Bastar region. Deploying 10 more motorcycle ambulances are on the cards.

Mission upgrade
The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Raipur is working to improve the design of the motorcycle ambulance to enhance efficiency. The ambulance costs Rs 1.7 lakh and Rs 15,000 per month is investment to keep it running.

The Logical Indian appreciates the initiative of starting such an innovative concept in the remote areas of Chhattisgarh for everyone to avail emergency healthcare services. We urge the government to encourage in more such project and roll out more number of motorcycle ambulance for those areas.

At 10,000 Feet, Indian Army Rescues An Ambulance With A Pregnant Lady And 8 People

Partner Story

An Army Colonel Is Changing Lives Of Thousand Of People From North-East Using White Bullets

Retiring after spending 32 years in the Indian Army, Col Chris Rego is helping change the destinies of hundreds of children in conflict-affected North East India through his “White Bullets” initiative. With this initiative, he hopes to bring peace and progress to communities across North East India.

Luminouswanted to bring out the Colonel’s story to the world to inspire and motivate others as it believes that education is a strong tool to empower women. It is supporting Col Rego’s cause through an initiative called #Luminaries – the brave people who stand up for causes like girl child education and make a difference in the society.

Col Rego’s journey started over a decade ago in Manipur when a tribal woman knocked on his door pleading for support for her daughter’s education. Touched by the woman’s story, Col Rego and his wife delved into their savings and arranged for the money for the girl’s education. Two years down the line, the woman returned, this time with a small pumpkin and a shawl that she had knitted, and all the money she had borrowed. Moved and realizing that their money could make lives rather than earn paltry interest, Col and Mrs. Rego embarked on a journey to arrange for sponsorship of many more underprivileged children.

Retiring from the Army, Col Rego took over as CEO of Sunbird Trust, a not-for-profit organization which he founded in 2014. The Trust now sponsor over 1,000 children in 21 locations acrossNorth East India. The centre of Sunbird Trust’s activities is at beautiful Ijeirong, Manipur.

Recognizing Col Chris’s immense work, Luminousacknowledged him as their first Luminary. Through this, they hope to bring more power to his elbow in the notable work he is doing. The Luminousteam travelled to remote Ijeirong village and installed solar products. These solar products will help in providing power to the entire campus 24/7 for the very first time.

The Logical Indian salutes Col Christopher Rego for his untiring efforts and leadership. His efforts are already having a cascading effect on people from across India joining the “White Bullets” endeavour. Quite amazingly, education, in itself so empowering, is merely a means to PEACE. We hope the path illuminated by #Luminary Col Rego and his Sunbird Trust team acts as a beacon for others to follow.

If you too have stories of change, share them with us. And if you want to connect with Colonel Rego, click here.